I know how insurmountable it can feel to get the attention and interest of the person you're crushing on. It can feel impossible. Trust me, I'm probably the king of trying to get the girl I'm crushing on to like me. But in today's post, I'm going to forgo the getting your crush to like you part, and talk explicitly about what you should wear on your first date with them.
Just like with a job interview, a first date is all about making a killer first impression. You might be thinking, 'But I already know the person, so it wouldn't really be a first impression,' and you'd be right to think that. But the dynamics of dating are completely different than just simply knowing someone.
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| Even if you've known the person for awhile, the dynamics of a date are always going to be different (Photo Credit: monycrashers.com |
On a date, there's clear potential romantic interest. Let's face it, if there wasn't you wouldn't be on a date. So regardless of if you already know the person or not, going on a date with them will, in essence, be like meeting them for the first time.
But without further delay, here are 5 tips to ensure you, at the very least, win them over with style.
I. Dress For The Date
Sounds pretty obvious, right?
Let me explain what I mean though:
Unlike with situations like job interviews where there's a fairly clear dress-code, for a date there are literally no requirements or expectations for what you should or shouldn't wear, as long as you're wearing something, of course!
But because dating is so broad and could actually involve dozens of different things, you want to be mindful of what you'll be doing on the date and dress accordingly.
Maybe you absolutely love wearing suits and sport's coats like me, but if you're going to the local aquarium to gawk at fish than a suit may not be the best outfit to wear, especially considering aquariums tend to have hands-on areas where you can actually put your hand in water to feel the fish. That could be potentially disastrous if wearing a suit.
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| You really can never go wrong wearing a suit...unless your first date's at an aquarium. Where else wouldn't a suit work? Let me know in the comments. |
Instead, I think a nice casual button-up would be your best choice here. Something that's still going to look cool, but won't cause you to miss out on certain things. You could even consider wearing blue to show your date that you really thought about what outfit to wear.
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| Even with the waistcoat, I think this would be a great combo for a first date, minus the scowl of course! |
Obviously, it would take me probably at least ten posts to talk about what you should wear to in every single dating situation, which would be way too much. So just stick to these brief rules- of- thumb and you should be good to go:
Date:
Places that require minimum movement (ex. dinner, movies, bars, et cetera)- Dress your best with a suit or sport's coat with chinos
Places that require a decent amount of movement (ex. aquarium, museum, walk through the park, et cetera.)- Dress-up but still retain some casual aspects.
Places that require a lot of movement- Dress-down especially if there's a chance you'll be sweating. I'm not sure why you'd be doing something on a first date that has you sweating, but I wouldn't want to be too dressed-up in such a case.
II. Wear Something Bold
Regardless of what you end up doing on your date, you want to make sure to wear something bold that will make you stand-out from other people the person you're on a date with has been seeing.
Actually, come to think of it, going on a date is a lot like a job interview. Standing-out and showing your date you're the right person for them is key.
Now, when I say wear something bold, I don't mean something tacky. Of course wearing something tacky can be bold, but it's probably going to distract your date from getting to know you, which after all, is the primary objective for any date.
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| This is the epitome of something I would definitely not wear on a first date. What do you think? |
What I mean by bold is something subtly bold like a color or abstract pocket square design or even a memorable fragrance, which as I noted in my guide to finding your signature scent post, can be incredibly erotic.
In terms of colors, I think red or pink are your two best options. Red, because it is psychologically, the most attractive color you could wear, and pink because it conveys a strong sense of confidence that your date is sure to love.
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| You can't go wrong with wearing something pink on a first date. It's going to show that you're uber confident. I probably wouldn't wear the entire pink suit though. |
I would avoid conservative colors like white, blue, and grey because you most likely won't stand-out wearing traditional colors.
The goal is to be memorable to the other person, and making bold style choices can be a great way to do just that.
III. Wear Your Best Shoes
To a lot of guys, shoes really aren't that big of a deal, but to many women and others who are more fashionably inclined, wearing an amazing pair of shoes makes or breaks an outfit.
That's why wearing a great pair of shoes is number three in. my Big 4 of Style-- because they really are so important.
Even if the rest of your outfit is on-point and you're wearing a bold color or fragrance, if you're shoes don't look sharp you're going to lose points.
Now, what kind of shoes you decide to wear greatly depends on the type date it is, as mentioned in number one. This means that you need to actually carefully consider what shoes you should wear.
For example, if you're taking your date to a fancy restaurant and are dressing-up, you need to go with a pair of black or brown Oxfords, but if you're taking your date to a museum and around the city, you need to go with a pair of loafers or even causal sneakers.
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| This pair of Ralph Lauren Polo Brown Leather casual sneakers would make a great pair to wear around town on your first date. What do you think? |
No matter what you decide to wear, there is one crucial thing you need to keep in mind: your shoes need to be in like-new condition. Absolutely do not wear a pair of worn-out shoes. I can guarantee you that you will lose major style points with your date if you wear a pair that looks like you bought them ten years ago.
This doesn't mean you need to buy a new pair of shoes for a date, although you could, rather, it means you need to spend some time cleaning and even perhaps shining your shoes prior to the date.
You want to dress to impress and nothing will impress your date more than wearing a clean, refined looking pair of shoes.
It probably sounds insignificant or like I'm exaggerating, but trust me, I'm not!
IV. Wear A Sexy Fragrance
This is kind of an extension of tip number two, but it is important enough to give it its own category. I feel like I mention wearing a fragrance in every list I do, but that's because it's so important.
A person's sense of smell is so powerful, and is also the most memorable. So if you want to really leave a lasting impression on your date, wearing a sexy fragrance will do just that.
Now, what do I mean by sexy?
Essentially, you should wear whatever you feel most confident wearing; preferably something that isn't new. I feel like fragrances take some time to mature on your skin which is going to make the fragrance you've been wearing for years smell a bit more appealing than the one you bought last week.
Or at the very least give you a boost of confidence while wearing it, which will inevitably help during your date.
While a sexy fragrance could be anything you feel great while wearing, there are a few things I should note:
1. Don't wear a generic fragrance, that is, something your date has probably smelt on fifteen other guys at least. It's very easy to figure out which scents are generic-- a quick Google search will likely give you an extensive list-- but here are several I can quickly think of that you probably don't want to wear on a date-
I'm not saying any of these fragrances are bad, not at all. What I am saying is that they are all choices any guy would be apt to make before going on a date. Therefore, by wearing a generic or common fragrance like these, you are going to risk smelling like other people the person has dated.
Honestly, if you have a great time with the person, the fact that you're wearing Sauvage EDT most likely won't prevent you from getting a second date, but wouldn't you rather leave a killer first impression with your scent? Something you can reminisce about with the person ten years after your first date.
So instead of going with something generic, I would go with something sexy that will make you stand-out like Sauvage EDP or Armani Code Profumo; both of which take the dna of the originals and gives it a unique twist.
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| Both Dior Sauvage EDP (left) and Armani Code Profumo (right) would make perfect first date fragrances. |
Exactly the kind of twist you want on a date.
But that leads into the second thing you should be aware of...
2. Don't wear a fragrance that is too unique, that is, something with an extremely uncommon note/composition like most things with oud. There's definitely a fine line between wearing something generic and something too unique. You want to make sure your fragrance is right on the line.
That's why I highly recommend you look for reformulated versions of more generic compositions because they'll probably be your safest bet.
I would avoid most niche fragrances though or anything that might not be mass-appealing.
Mass-appealing fragrances are pretty easy to detect because they're going to be comprised of more common notes like bergamot, vanilla, cedarwood, sandalwood, et cetera.
They're typically going to be something you smell and immediately can tell it's going to be a safe fragrance to wear.
So, if you don't get that feeling or if when you smell the fragrance you're left wondering what exactly is in the composition, DO NOT WEAR IT.
The person you're going on a date with might be a big fan of uncommon scents, so it might not hurt you, but I would play it safe especially on the first date.
You don't want to be remembered as the guy who wore an awful oud fragrance on your first date!
V. Wear Something That Accentuates Your Features
Because on a first date you want to really highlight your physical features, this is a subtle yet crucial thing you can do to make sure your date sees everything sexy about you.
Now, what I mean by wear something to accentuate your natural features is that you want to go with a shade or piece that's going to really make your physical attributes stand-out.
This means that if you have brown eyes you should wear a lot of earthy tones to bring out the color of your eyes or if you have light blue eyes you should wear lighter, pastel colors that will really emphasize the shade of your eyes.
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| Note how this guy's blue hoodie is almost the same shade as his eyes. Imagine if he were wearing a black or grey hoodie: you'd still notice his eyes, but they wouldn't be accentuated like they are in the photo. |
Or let's say you have an athletic body, you would want to wear an athletic-fit shirt because it is going to highlight areas like your chest and shoulders; areas which you likely would want to show-off to a date.
Let's face it: physical attraction is a primary part of being on a first date. As noted above, if there wasn't any attraction between you and whomever you're dating, you wouldn't be on a date in the first place.
So when you're planning out your outfit, you want to be aware of what is going to make you look better and what's just going to look like a piece your wearing.
Wearing the right color or cut can be extremely beneficial, but it can also go against you if you try to hard to show-off your features.
For example, let's say you have an athletic type body, and in order to show it off, you decide to wear your gym outfit for the date. While a small number of people might not mind, I think most people would be a little annoyed and wonder why you didn't put much thought into what you decided to wear.
Just like the shoes you decide to wear, your overall style might not seem to matter much, but it absolutely does.
If you're really not sure how to accentuate your natural features, I would say just focus on the first four tips.
Yea, you can score some major points by doing this right, but you could also lose a lot if you do it wrong.
Bonus Tip #1: Style Your Hair
I'm sure a lot of guys think that taking care of their hair is more of a feminine thing, and stereotypically, it might be. But realistically, they couldn't be more wrong.
How you style your hair for a date is perhaps more important than the rest of your outfit because it is likely going to be the first thing your date notices. Of course, if you already know the person your going on a date with from school or work, this is probably less important of a factor.
But nonetheless, I would recommend at least spending 30 minutes styling your hair.
There are three crucial parts of styling your hair before a date: wash it, blow-dry it, and put product in it.
Even if you don't use shampoo and conditioner in your hair, washing it with water is important because it will allow you to get the best results from your blowdryer.
Spend about five minutes or so blowdrying your wet hair while brushing it back occasionally. This will give your hair a sleek and shiny look. Note: the brushing is essential; if you don't brush it while and after blowdrying, it's going to come out with a messy look
The key though is applying the right product and right amount of it. I've found pomades seem to do the best job at holding my hair in place without giving it that greasy, crunchy look that some gels do. Also, I've found that Vicks Vaporub actually does a really good job at giving my hair a light hold that lasts all day.
Regardless of what you decide to use in your hair, make sure you put something in it. There's nothing worse than feeling your hair go flat because you didn't put any product in it, at least there isn't for me.
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Ultimately, you want to wear something that's going to look good and make you feel great. Confidence is once again the most important factor in determining how a date goes, so if you walk into the date feeling super confident, chances are things are going to go well.
Since confidence is so crucial when it comes to going on a first date, I should note that you probably want to wear something you already feel confident wearing. Treat it almost like a more casual job interview. One that could result in a long-lasting significant connection.
So yea, like a job interview.
Don't tell your date that though. I can pretty much guarantee you won't get a second if they hear that!
What do you all think though? Do you agree with my tips? Do you disagree? Would you add anything else? Let me know in the comments, so we can all benefit from your feedback!
-Ryan S.
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